Student Internship Program (SIP)
Congratulations on getting the green flag to start a SIP. In the following pages, we explain how the Harvard Green Campus Initiative (HGCI) SIP is structured, managed and administered. You will have to adapt this model to your own campus environment and program goals, factoring in things like academic schedules and organizational structures. However you adapt the HGCI model to your campus, we encourage you keep in mind the themes of mentorship, partnership and accountability as these are the basic ingredients for the success of the model.
Learn how and why teaming students with professional staff via internships is an effective way to find sustainable solutions on college and university campuses.
The structure of the HGCI SIP is described with special attention to the roles of the program manager and internship sponsors.
This section looks at potential funding streams for the SIP manager and interns, including how to develop project budgets and manage the funds.
The evolution of an internship project and its related tasks is discussed here.
Suggestions on how to look for interns, select the best candidates and get them situated in their new positions.
Tips on how to both mentor and manage interns, plus what to expect in terms of progress, reporting and monitoring.
What kinds of outcomes can the SIP manager and internship sponsors expect? Some of the possibilities—including institutional memory, community outreach and final presentations—are discussed in this section.
The ultimate goal of an internship is to plant the seed for ongoing sustainability work. Here is some advice on how to make this happen, plus how to wrap up an internship.
The 18 HGCI internships are described in detail and categorized by date, subject and funding arrangement.